Gaming Machine With Orientable Indicia and Method

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are games, gaming machines, gaming systems and methods including an adjustable multi-part indicia. During play of a game, indicia may be repeatedly reoriented in order to form winning combinations with adjacent indicia.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to U.S. patent application 12/______entitled “WAGERING GAME WITH ORIENTABLE INDICIA AND METHOD,” filed onNov. ______, 2008.

This application is related to U.S. patent application 12/______entitled “NETWORKED GAMING SYSTEM WITH ORIENTABLE INDICIA AND METHOD,”filed on Nov. ______, 2008.

All of the above referenced applications are hereby incorporated byreference in their entireties for all purposes.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to wagering games, gaming machines,networked gaming systems and methods and, more particularly, to wageringgames, gaming machines, networked gaming systems and methods havingorientable, positionable or adjustable indicia.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the prior art, various types of gaming machines have been developedwith different features to captivate and maintain player interest. Ingeneral, a gaming machine allows a player to play a game in exchange fora wager. Depending on the outcome of the game, the player may beentitled to an award which is paid to the player by the gaming machine,normally in the form of currency or game credits. Gaming machines mayinclude flashing displays, lighted displays, or sound effects to capturea player's interest in a gaming device.

Another important feature of maintaining player interest in a gamingmachine includes providing the player with many opportunities to winawards, such as cash or prizes. For example, in some slot machines, thedisplay windows show more than one adjacent symbol on each reel, therebyallowing for multiple-line betting. Feature games of various types havebeen employed to reward players above the amounts normally awarded on astandard game pay schedule. Generally, such feature games are triggeredby predetermined events such as one or more appearances of certaincombinations of indicia in a primary game. In order to stimulateinterest, feature games are typically set to occur at a gaming machineon a statistical cycle based upon the number of primary game plays.

Some gaming machine games today include one or more progressive prizeawards. In some configurations, the progressive prize may have a smallprobability of a player winning it; thus making it possible to have alarger progressive prize. In other game configurations, the progressiveprize may be a small amount; thus allowing the player patron to win theprogressive prize more frequently. In most typical game configurations,the player wins the progressive prize as a result of a specific gameoutcome within the primary or main game.

While gaming machines including feature games and progressive prizeshave been very successful, there remains a need for games that provide aplayer with enhanced excitement and increased opportunity of winning

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, a gamingmachine includes a processor operatively coupled to a set ofplayer-operable controls and a first game and a second game operable bythe processor in accordance with the player-operable controls. The firstgame includes a set of possible outcomes displayable to include at leasttwo indicia having visually distinguishable sub-parts. The second gameis initiated upon a triggering event associated with the first game. Thegaming machine further includes a payout device for awarding one or moreawards resulting from adjusting the position of a first displayedsub-part to place it in proximity to a corresponding second displayedsub-part to form a winning combination.

In accordance with other embodiments of the invention, a method ofoperating a gaming machine including a first game and a second gameplayed by a player includes the steps of accepting a wager from awager-input mechanism and initiating play of a processor-controlledfirst game according to the wager. The method further includes the stepsof displaying a first game outcome on a display, including displaying atleast two indicia having visually distinguishable sub-parts. Upon atriggering event associated with the first game, the method furtherincludes the steps of initiating a second processor-controlled game,adjusting the position on the display of a first displayed sub-part toplace it in proximity to a corresponding second displayed sub-part toform a second game outcome and determining one or more awards which maybe won according to the second game outcome. The method also includescontrolling a payment device to pay the determined awards to the player.

Other features and advantages will become apparent from the followingdetailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate by way of example, the features of thevarious embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 provides an overview of a game in accordance with one or moreembodiments.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate the effects of orienting multi-part indicia inaccordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a display image associated with an example feature game inaccordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a gaming machine in accordance with oneor more embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the physical and logical components of thegaming machine of FIG. 4 in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the logical components of a gaming kernelin accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram depicting the steps associated withcarrying out an example method in accordance with one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram showing the hardware elements of anetworked gaming system in accordance with one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments are directed to a game, gaming machine, gamingnetworks and method for playing a game, wherein the game includesadjustable multi-part indicia. The embodiments are illustrated anddescribed herein, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation.Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-8, thereare shown illustrative examples of games, gaming machines, gamingnetworks and methods for playing a game in accordance with variousaspects of the invention.

An example game in accordance with one or more aspects of the inventionis shown in FIGS. 1-3. Referring to FIG. 1, game 100 is implementedusing five spinning reels 101-105. Each of 30 pay line patterns (notshown) passes through one indicium on each of the five reels. Forexample, the first pay line 160 extends horizontally through the centerposition of each of the five reels 101-105. The number of pay lines andtheir patterns are by way of example only and may vary. The playerselects the number of played pay lines and the number of credits orcoins wagered on each line using touch screen controls or gaming devicecontrol buttons. The player's selections are displayed on pay LINESmeter 110, line BET meter 120 and TOTAL BET meter 130 located adjacentto the reels. Win PAID meter 140 and CREDITS meter 150 provide theplayer with information about the amount paid by the last game playedand the total number of credits available for play. The player maycollect the balance of his credits by pressing a COLLECT button (notshown).

The player initiates game play by pressing a SPIN touch screen button170. In some embodiments, the player may simultaneously select all paylines at the maximum number of coins or credits allowed per line bypressing a MAX BET button (not shown). Buttons (see FIG. 4, 460) ongaming machine 400 (FIG. 4) or touch screen buttons similar to button170 may be used to perform the actions described here without deviatingfrom the scope of the invention. Reels 101-105 are made to spin and stopin predetermined stop positions. A determination is then made whetherthe stop positions of the reels resulted in a winning game outcome.

The player may view the pay table associated with the primary game onthe primary game display by way of a HELP/PAYS or similar button. Inalternate embodiments, the pay table may be presented on a second videoor printed display attached to the gaming device (i.e. display 453 or“pay glass” 452, FIG. 4). A winning combination, for example, could bethree or more symbols adjacent to one another on an active pay line. Foreach winning combination, the game device awards the player the award inthe pay table, adjusted as necessary based on the number of creditswagered on the pay line on which the win occurred. For example, threeRED 7 symbols adjacent to one another from left-to-right on an activepay line might pay 100 times the player's wager.

In one embodiment of the invention, the indicia on reels 101-105 mayinclude two or more sub-parts. At the conclusion of the spinning of thereels and subsequent to any initial winning game outcome determination,feature game play may be initiated. During the feature game, the game orthe player may adjust the orientation or alignment of one or moreindicia by, for example, sliding, spinning, shifting, flipping,rotating, shuffling or otherwise orienting the indicia in order to alignlike sub-parts of adjacent symbols to create winning combinations. Inone embodiment, the game automatically adjusts the indicia. In otherembodiments, the player is allowed to adjust the indicia to try toobtain the best possible award on each pay line. For example, the gamecycles through each pay line allowing the player to realign indiciauntil he indicates he is satisfied, then choices for the next pay lineare allowed until all pay lines have been presented.

In accordance with one embodiment, as illustrated by FIG. 2, is a gameentitled Domino Train. Some of the slot symbols or indicia representdominos ranging from 1/1 to 6/6, with no dominos having a zero. When agame is played, the outcome of the reel spin is examined to determine ifany domino symbols are visible on the reels. Winning combinationsinclude three or more domino symbols forming a “train,” where theright-half of the left-most symbol on reel 201 may be coupled with amatching left-half of an adjacent symbol on reel 202, followed by theright-half of the symbol on reel 202 coupled with a matching left-halfof an adjacent symbol on reel 203, and so on across the reels. For eachpay line on which domino symbols are present, each symbol may bere-oriented so as to create the longest possible train, from 3 to 5symbols in length.

FIGS. 2A-C illustrate various stages of five reels 201-205 of a game inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 2A, domino 220is adjacent to domino 210, but their adjacent sub-parts are mismatched.Domino 210 is oriented with three pips or dots on its right-hand side,while domino 220 is oriented with five pips on its left-hand side.Because the interface between the dominos is mismatched, they are notcoupled and no train combination exists.

However, as shown in FIG. 2B, domino 220 may be flipped horizontally sothat the three pips of domino 210 are then matched with the three pipsof domino 220 to form a two-symbol train combination, 1/3-3/5, whereeach digit represents the pips on a sub-part and the separate reelsymbols are coupled by hyphens.

Continuing the process, domino 230 may similarly be flipped horizontallyso that the five pips of domino 230 are coupled with the five pips ofdomino 220, as shown in FIG. 2C. This action extends the traincombination to a three-symbol train combination (1/3-3/5-5/6). Theaction of flipping domino 230 also results in the coupling of domino 230and domino 240, resulting in a train combination of 1/3-3/5-5/6-6/6.Without any further action, it can be seen that domino 240 and domino250 are already coupled by adjacent sets of six pips as a result of theoriginal orientation of their sub-parts. The flipping of domino 230,then, ultimately produces a five-symbol train combination:1/3-3/5-5/6-6/6-6/2.

Winning combination for the domino symbols may pay fixed award similarto standard slot machine games, such as 5 credits for 3 dominos, 10credits for 4 dominos and 50 credits for 5 dominos. Or, the awards maybe summations of the pips found on all adjacent dominos with each doubledomino (both sides the same) acting as a multiplier. Referring to theexample on pay line 260 in FIG. 2C, the award might be((1+3)+(3+5)+(5+6)+(6+6))×2=86 credits. Many other possibilities ofaward structures are possible, including progressive awards.

In various embodiments, winning combinations may be evaluated acrossadjacent reels from left-to-right, from right-to-left or both.Additional winning combinations may be awarded when certain indicia donot necessarily accumulate adjacently on a pay line, but rather, appearanywhere on the reels (i.e., “scatter pays”). In addition, “wild”indicia may be used to complete winning combinations. Some “wild”indicia may also cause completed winning combinations to be result inpay amounts in excess of the normal winning combination by way ofmultiplication or addition, for example, a wild doubler symbol may beused to multiply a winning combination's award by two.

In one or more embodiments, once the symbols along pay line 260 havebeen evaluated and oriented to achieve the best winning combination, theprocess continues for some or all of the remaining pay lines of thegame, for example, pay line 270. In one embodiment, the player isawarded the sum of all the winning domino train combinations. In anotherembodiment, the player is awarded the highest of all winning dominotrain combinations.

In another embodiment with a train theme, only some of the symbols needbe reoriented, while other symbols are wild and will pair withoutrealignment. For example, a sub-part of a symbol on reel 201 may containa caboose icon while a sub-part of a symbol on reel 205 may contain alocomotive icon. Symbols on reels 202-204 may contain generic sub-parts,such as a generic railroad car icon that can “couple” with any adjacentrailroad car icon-bearing sub-part. In order to form a train, one wouldonly need a caboose icon in the left-most position on pay line 260 and alocomotive icon in the right-most position on pay line 260. The railroadcars connecting them would not need to be aligned with any particulartype of railroad car to couple with cars either side; any type ofadjacent railroad car would suffice.

In other embodiments, the sub-parts may aligned according to rules otherthan matching in order to pair or couple adjacent indicia. For example,a sequence may be used in which a “1” may be paired with a “2,” a “2”then being paired with a “3”, etc. In one embodiment, the indicia may beadjusted to have adjacent sub-parts that add up to a particular number,for example, seven. For example, dominoes might be positioned into athree-domino winning combination such as 3/5-2/3-4/3, where 5+2=7 and3+4=7.

In some embodiments, rather than changing the orientation of aparticular symbol, winning combinations may be created by insteadrearranging one of more sub-parts on at least one symbol to form aseries. In still other related embodiments, the indicia may then havemore than two sub-parts. For example, three-part symbols may havesub-parts of varying colors or other visually distinguishing aspects.The sub-parts may be adjusted, oriented or shuffled within the confinesof their corresponding symbol to create match-ups with the sub-parts ofadjacent symbols.

In some embodiments, various primary game outcomes may be utilized totrigger the play of a “second screen” feature game, including, but notlimited to, awarding feature play when certain symbols appear on a payline, when certain symbols are scattered, when no symbols of a certaintype appear, when a certain winning combination occurs or, regardless ofthe visible symbols, at random or fixed intervals. The availability ofthe feature game may be restricted based on the size of the wager.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a triggering event in theprimary game initiates a “second screen” feature game as illustrated byFIG. 3. For example, three TRAIN symbols on an active primary game payline may initiate play. In the example, a display 300 includes a “boneyard” 310 made up a set of 28 face-down dominoes 320 numbered fromdouble-zero (blank) through double-6. The player selects eight dominoesfrom bone yard 310, which are then moved to the bottom of the display toform a hand 330. The selected dominoes 331-338 are then turned face-upto display their pips. The hand is then arranged to form a train ofconnecting dominos, either automatically by the game, by the player, orboth. In one embodiment, the game and the player alternate arranging adomino in the hand. This continues until the longest possible train hasbeen created. In the example of FIG. 3, dominoes 332, 333, 335, 336, 337and 338 have been moved from hand 330 to form train 340. Dominoes 331and 334 remain unused in hand 330. In one embodiment, the value of thetrain may be equal to the total number of pips in the train. In anotherembodiment, the value of any winning combination may be doubled for eachdouble domino, a domino having the same number of pips in each of itssub-parts; for example, two and two. In one or more embodiments, thevalue of the train is multiplied by the total bet on the triggering payline(s) or by some other factor associated with the wager on the primarygame which triggered the feature game.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, the feature game of FIG. 3may be one of a set of primary games randomly selected for playfollowing initiation of play by the player. For example, multipleprimary games are disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/428,220,entitled “Multiple Primary Games Triggered by Random Number Generator,”filed on Jun. 30, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference, inwhich a gaming machine has at least two distinct primary games. Afterreceiving a wager, the gaming machine determines which primary game toactivate. The selected primary game is activated and a game outcome ispresented to the player on a game display. A payout may be awardedaccording to the game outcome. The availability of the game may berestricted based on the size of the wager.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, progressiveprizes may be awarded as part of primary or feature game play. Theprogressive prizes may be calculated by a progressive controller such asa controller manufactured by Mikohn, Inc. The progressive controllermonitors wagering during base game play, calculates a current value forone or more progressive jackpot pools and transmits the current poolvalues to the gaming machine. In one or more embodiments, progressiveawards are accumulated during regular play as a percentage, such asthree percent, of the game play take. The prizes may be sized accordingto the preferences of the casino operator. The number of prizes may varywithout deviating from the scope of the invention. The size of theprizes is dependent on the amount of play prior to initiating featureplay and may come from the contributions of a single gaming machine or anumber of linked gaming machines. In another aspect, the prizes may beset amounts established by the casino operator from non-coin-in funds,such as marketing funds.

In one or more embodiments, the prizes for feature game play may beaccumulated based on funding mechanisms other than a percentage ofwagers accumulated by the gaming machine. For example, an operator mayinitially fund various award pools with a pre-determined amount ofmoney, such as $1000 for one progressive, $500 for a second progressive,$100 for a third progressive and so on. Subsequently, the casinooperator may determine to increase the amounts of one or more of theawards at pre-determined times which may be periodically or randomlyselected with a range of times or periods. Once a winner has occurred atany level, the award levels may be rolled back to the initial fundinglevel. In one or more embodiments, only the winning award level isrolled back to the initial funding level.

In one or more embodiments, the prizes for feature game play may be setamounts, i.e. non-progressive. In one or more embodiments, thealgorithms to determine the amounts may be determined by a statisticalpercentage based on an average take of a gaming machine and thelikelihood of the win over a period of time. In the case where one ormore gaming machines are networked, a common award table may be utilizedwhere the award algorithms are determined based on an average take(total wagers) of all the networked gaming machines and the likelihoodof a win of an award over a period of time. Each award may be calculatedin a similar manner based on the likelihood of a winning outcome beingachieved during a game play session.

Referring to FIG. 4, gaming machine 400 is shown, in accordance with oneor more embodiments, including cabinet housing 420, primary game display440 upon which a primary game and feature game may be displayed, top box450 which may display multiple progressives that may be won during playof the feature game, player-activated buttons 460, player tracking panel436, bill/voucher acceptor 480 and one or more speakers 490. Cabinethousing 420 may be a self-standing unit that is generally rectangular inshape and may be manufactured with reinforced steel or other rigidmaterials which are resistant to tampering and vandalism. Cabinethousing 420 may alternatively be a handheld device including the gamingfunctionality as discussed herein and including various of the describedcomponents herein. For example, a handheld device may be a cell phone,personal data assistant, or laptop or tablet computer, each of which mayinclude a display, a processor, and memory sufficient to support eitherstand-alone capability such as gaming machine 400 or thin clientcapability such as that incorporating some of the capability of a remoteserver.

In one or more embodiments, cabinet housing 420 houses a processor,circuitry, and software (not shown) for receiving signals from theplayer-activated buttons 460, operating the games, and transmittingsignals to the respective displays and speakers. Any shaped cabinet maybe implemented with any embodiment of gaming machine 400 so long as itprovides access to a player for playing a game. For example, cabinet 420may comprise a slant-top, bar-top, or table-top style cabinet, includinga Bally Cinevision™ or CineReels™ cabinet. The operation of gamingmachine 400 is described more fully below.

The plurality of player-activated buttons 460 may be used for variousfunctions such as, but not limited to, selecting a wager denomination,selecting a game to be played, selecting a wager amount per game,initiating a game, or cashing out money from gaming machine 400. Buttons460 may be operable as input mechanisms and may include mechanicalbuttons, electromechanical buttons or touch screen buttons. Optionally,a handle 485 may be rotated by a player to initiate a game.

In one or more embodiments, buttons 460 may be replaced with variousother input mechanisms known in the art such as, but not limited to, atouch screen system, touch pad, track ball, mouse, switches, toggleswitches, or other input means used to accept player input. For example,one input means is a universal button module as disclosed in U.S.application Ser. No. 11/106,212, entitled “Universal Button Module,”filed on Apr. 14, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference.Generally, the universal button module provides a dynamic button systemadaptable for use with various games and capable of adjusting to gamingsystems having frequent game changes. More particularly, the universalbutton module may be used in connection with playing a game on a gamingmachine and may be used for such functions as selecting the number ofcredits to bet per hand.

Cabinet housing 420 may optionally include top box 450 which contains“top glass” 452 comprising advertising or payout information related tothe game or games available on gaming machine 400. Player tracking panel436 includes player tracking card reader 434 and player tracking display432. Voucher printer 430 may be integrated into player tracking panel436 or installed elsewhere in cabinet housing 420 or top box 450.

Game display 440 may present a game of chance wherein a player receivesone or more outcomes from a set of potential outcomes. For example, onesuch game of chance is a video slot machine game. In other aspects ofthe invention, gaming machine 400 may present a video or mechanical reelslot machine, a video keno game, a lottery game, a bingo game, a ClassII bingo game, a roulette game, a craps game, a blackjack game, amechanical or video representation of a wheel game or the like.

Mechanical or video/mechanical embodiments may include game displayssuch as mechanical reels, wheels, or dice as required to present thegame to the player. In video/mechanical or pure video embodiments, gamedisplay 440 is, typically, a CRT or a flat-panel display in the form of,but not limited to, liquid crystal, plasma, electroluminescent, vacuumfluorescent, field emission, or any other type of panel display known ordeveloped in the art. Game display 440 may be mounted in either a“portrait” or “landscape” orientation and be of standard or “widescreen”dimensions (i.e., a ratio of one dimension to another of at least 16×9).For example, a widescreen display may be 32 inches wide by 18 inchestall. A widescreen display in a “portrait” orientation may be 32 inchestall by 18 inches wide. Additionally, game display 440 preferablyincludes a touch screen or touch glass system (not shown) and presentsplayer interfaces such as, but not limited to, credit meter (not shown),win meter (not shown) and touch screen buttons (not shown). An exampleof a touch glass system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,571,entitled “Gaming Device with Direction and Speed Control of MechanicalReels Using Touch Screen,” which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Game display 440 may also present information such as, but not limitedto, player information, advertisements and casino promotions, graphicdisplays, news and sports updates, or even offer an alternate game. Thisinformation may be generated through a host computer networked withgaming machine 400 on its own initiative or it may be obtained byrequest of the player using either one or more of the plurality ofplayer-activated buttons 460; the game display itself, if game display440 comprises a touch screen or similar technology; buttons (not shown)mounted about game display 440 which may permit selections such as thosefound on an ATM machine, where legends on the screen are associated withrespective selecting buttons; or any player input device that offers therequired functionality.

Cabinet housing 420 incorporates a single game display 440. However, inalternate embodiments, cabinet housing 420 or top box 450 may house oneor more additional displays 453 or components used for various purposesincluding additional game play screens, animated “top glass,”progressive meters or mechanical or electromechanical devices (notshown) such as, but not limited to, wheels, pointers or reels. Theadditional displays may or may not include a touch screen or touch glasssystem.

Referring to FIG. 5, electronic gaming machine 501 is shown inaccordance with one or more embodiments. Electronic gaming machine 501includes base game integrated circuit board 503 (EGM Processor Board)connected through serial bus line 505 to game monitoring unit (GMU) 507(such as a Bally MC300 or ACSC NT), and player interface integratedcircuit board (PIB) 509 connected to player interface devices 511 overbus lines 513, 515, 517, 519, 521, 523. Printer 525 is connected to PIB509 and GMU 507 over bus lines 527, 529. EGM Processor Board 503, PIB509, and GMU 507 connect to Ethernet switch 531 over bus lines 533, 535,537. Ethernet switch 531 connects to a slot management system (SMS) anda casino management system (CMS) network over bus line 539. GMU 507 alsomay connect to the SMS and CMS network over bus line 541. Speakers 543connect through audio mixer 545 and bus lines 547, 549 to EGM ProcessorBoard 503 and PIB 509. The proximity and biometric devices and circuitrymay be installed by upgrading a commercially available PIB 509, such asa Bally iView unit. Coding executed on EGM Processor Board 503, PID 509,and/or GMU 507 may be upgraded to integrate a game having adjustablemulti-part indicia as is more fully described herein.

Peripherals 551 connect through bus 553 to EGM Processor Board 503. Forexample, a bill/ticket acceptor is typically connected to a gameinput-output board 553 which is, in turn, connected to a conventionalcentral processing unit (“CPU”) board 503, such as an Intel Pentiummicroprocessor mounted on a gaming motherboard. I/O board 553 may beconnected to CPU processor board 503 by a serial connection such asRS-232 or USB or may be attached to the processor by a bus such as, butnot limited to, an ISA bus. The gaming motherboard may be mounted withother conventional components, such as are found on conventionalpersonal computer motherboards, and loaded with a game program which mayinclude a gaming machine operating system (OS), such as a Bally AlphaOS. Processor board 503 executes a game program that causes processorboard 503 to play a game. In one embodiment, the game program provides aslot machine game having adjustable multi-part indicia. The variouscomponents and included devices may be installed with conventionallyand/or commercially available components, devices, and circuitry into aconventional and/or commercially available gaming machine cabinet,examples of which are described above.

When a player has inserted a form of currency such as, for example andwithout limitation, paper currency, coins or tokens, cashless tickets orvouchers, electronic funds transfers or the like into the currencyacceptor, a signal is sent by way of I/O board 553 to processor board503 which, in turn, assigns an appropriate number of credits for play inaccordance with the game program. The player may further control theoperation of the gaming machine by way of other peripherals 551, forexample, to select the amount to wager via electromechanical or touchscreen buttons. The game starts in response to the player operating astart mechanism such as a handle or touch screen icon. The game programincludes a random number generator to provide a display of randomlyselected indicia on one or more displays. In some embodiments, therandom generator may be physically separate from gaming machine 400; forexample, it may be part of a central determination host system whichprovides random game outcomes to the game program. Thereafter, theplayer may or may not interact with the game through electromechanicalor touch screen buttons to change the displayed indicia. Finally,processor board 503 under control of the game program and OS comparesthe final display of indicia to a pay table. The set of possible gameoutcomes may include a subset of outcomes related to the triggering of afeature game. In the event the displayed outcome is a member of thissubset, processor board 503, under control of the game program and byway of I/O Board 553, may cause feature game play to be presented on afeature display.

Predetermined payout amounts for certain outcomes, including featuregame outcomes, are stored as part of the game program. Such payoutamounts are, in response to instructions from processor board 503,provided to the player in the form of coins, credits or currency via I/Oboard 553 and a pay mechanism, which may be one or more of a creditmeter, a coin hopper, a voucher printer, an electronic funds transferprotocol or any other payout means known or developed in the art.

In various embodiments, the game program is stored in a memory device(not shown) connected to or mounted on the gaming motherboard. By way ofexample, but not by limitation, such memory devices include externalmemory devices, hard drives, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and flash memory cards. Inan alternative embodiment, the game programs are stored in a remotestorage device. In one embodiment, the remote storage device is housedin a remote server. The gaming machine may access the remote storagedevice via a network connection, including but not limited to, a localarea network connection, a TCP/IP connection, a wireless connection, orany other means for operatively networking components together.Optionally, other data including graphics, sound files and other mediadata for use with the EGM are stored in the same or a separate memorydevice (not shown). Some or all of the game program and its associateddata may be loaded from one memory device into another, for example,from flash memory to random access memory (RAM).

In one or more embodiments, peripherals may be connected to the systemover Ethernet connections directly to the appropriate server or tied tothe system controller inside the EGM using USB, serial or Ethernetconnections. Each of the respective devices may have upgrades to theirfirmware utilizing these connections.

One example of pseudo-code executed by the game microprocessor mayinclude:

Start if game activated, : game may be initiated by a player duringnormal play by ; selecting a wager and selecting ‘play’ button, pulling; lever, etc.; during tournament play, the EGM is set to play ; withoutadditional wagers, and the player may simply ; select ‘play’ button,pull lever, etc. depending upon the ; ; game    call game sequence ;causing random number generator to ; determine a game outcome,presenting a game ; display such as mechanically or video spinning ;reels for a predetermined period, stopping the ; reels to show thedetermined game outcome, ; paying any awards by increasing the credit ;meter, advancing any other game state meters, ; and transmittingselected game play ; information including player information ; throughthe Ethernet switch to the SMS/CMS ; network. Depending uponprogramming, said ; information may be transmitted directly by ; EGMProcessor Board 503 to the SMS/CMS ; network; alternatively, EGMProcessor Board ; 503 may enable the information to be ; provided to PID509 and/or GMU 507 for ; transmission to the SMS/CMS). else     while noactivating signals,       call attract mode ; causing a sample displayof a game sequence ; or presenting a display of a set of options for a ;player to initiate a game sequence such as ; minimum wager ($0.25, $1,$5) selection     wend ; buttons in the case of a touch panel display.    go to Start ; upon one or more activating signals, end ; attractmode and return to Start end

GMU 507 includes an integrated circuit board and GMU processor andmemory including coding for network communications, such as the G2S(game-to-system) protocol from the Gaming Standards Association, LasVegas, Nev., used for system communications over the network. As shown,GMU 507 may connect to card reader 555 through bus 557 and may therebyobtain player card information and transmit the information over thenetwork through bus 541. Gaming activity information may be transferredby the EGM Processor Board 503 to GMU 507 where the information may betranslated into a network protocol, such as S2S, for transmission to aserver, such as a player tracking server, where information about aplayer's playing activity may be stored in a designated server database.

PID 509 includes an integrated circuit board, PID processor, and memorywhich includes an operating system, such as Windows CE, a playerinterface program which may be executable by the PID processor togetherwith various input/output (I/O) drivers for respective devices whichconnect to PID 509, such as player interface devices 511, and which mayfurther include various games or game components playable on PID 509 orplayable on a connected network server and PID 509 is operable as theplayer interface. PID 509 connects to card reader 555 through bus 523,display 559 through video decoder 561 and bus 521, such as an LVDS orVGA bus.

As part of its programming, the PID processor executes coding to drivedisplay 559 and provide messages and information to a player. Touchscreen circuitry interactively connects display 559 and video decoder561 to PID 509, such that a player may input information and cause theinformation to be transmitted to PID 509 either on the player'sinitiative or responsive to a query by PID 509. Additionally soft keys565 connect through bus 517 to PID 509 and operate together with display559 to provide information or queries to a player and receive responsesor queries from the player. PID 509, in turn, communicates over theCMS/SMS network through Ethernet switch 531 and busses 535, 539 and withrespective servers, such as a player tracking server.

For example, PID 509 may have coding which is stored in local memory andexecutable by PID processor upon insertion of a player card into cardreader 555 and follows a sequence such as:

Start: Card detected ; a signal from card reader transmits to ; PID 509upon insertion Read player card information ; A player card hasidentifying information ; which may be used to identify a ;corresponding record in a player ; database where player tracking ;information is maintained, such as a PIN ; number for verifying a patronand the ; inserted card. Access player account ; a message may betransmitted to a player ; tracking server where a player account ;database may be maintained and ; accessed; the record may be located ;using the information from the player ; card. Display player welcomemessage with player's name If player's account has any information to bedisplayed,     Display additional information ; For example, if playehas accumulated ; bonus points or has any bonus or promo ; awards, thenthe display may present ; that information If player requests access toplayer's account,     Display query requesting input of PIN number ; Avirtual key pad may be displayed ; upon which the player may press the ;correct sequence of keys or a separate ; PIN pad may be used, such asPIN pad ; 571. If PIN confirmed, ; Upon receipt, the input PIN may be ;compared with a stored PIN associated ; with the player account. If theinput PIN ; corresponds then the player is given ; access to theaccount.     Display available ; For example, associated with respective    options ; soft keys 565, display bonus awards or ; promo creditsavailable and enable ; activation of bonus awards or download ; of promocredits.     Send transaction message to EGM Processor Board effecting    any authorized credit transaction ; EGM Processor Board 503 controlsthe ; credit meter displayed to player and ; controls release of creditsto patron as ; through bus 553 connecting to ; peripherals 551. Pursuantto the ; transaction signal from PID 509, EGM ; Processor Board 503transmits signal to ; credit meter and increases the number ; of creditsby the authorized amount.

Player interface devices 511 are linked into the virtual private networkof the system components in gaming machine 501. The system componentsinclude the iVIEW processing board and game monitoring unit (GMU)processing board. These system components may connect over a network tothe slot management system (such as a commercially available BallySDS/SMS) and/or casino management system (such as a commerciallyavailable Bally CMP/CMS).

The GMU system component has a connection to the base game through aserial SAS connection and is connected to various servers using, forexample, HTTPs over Ethernet. Through this connection, firmware, media,operating system software, gaming machine configurations can bedownloaded to the system components from the servers. This data isauthenticated prior to install on the system components.

The system components include the iVIEW processing board and gamemonitoring unit (GMU) processing board. The GMU and iVIEW can combinedinto one like the commercially available Bally GTM iVIEW device. Thisdevice may have a video mixing technology to mix the EGM processor'svideo signals with the iVIEW display onto the top box monitor or anymonitor on the gaming device.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, FIG. 6 is a functional blockdiagram of a gaming kernel 600 of a game program under control ofprocessor board 503. The game program uses gaming kernel 600 by callinginto application programming interface (API) 602, which is part of gamemanager 603. The components of game kernel 600 as shown in FIG. 6 areonly illustrative, and should not be considered limiting. For example,the number of managers may be changed, additional managers may be addedor some managers may be removed without deviating from the scope andspirit of the invention.

As shown in the example, there are three layers: a hardware layer 605;an operating system layer 610, such as, but not limited to, Linux; and agame kernel layer 600 having game manager 603 therein. In one or moreembodiments, the use of a standard operating system 610, such aUNIX-based or Windows-based operating system, allows game developersinterfacing to the gaming kernel to use any of a number of standarddevelopment tools and environments available for the operating systems.This is in contrast to the use of proprietary, low level interfaceswhich may require significant time and engineering investments for eachgame upgrade, hardware upgrade, or feature upgrade. The game kernellayer 600 executes at the user level of the operating system 610, anditself contains a major component called the I/O Board Server 615. Toproperly set the bounds of game application software (making integritychecking easier), all game applications interact with gaming kernel 600using a single API 602 in game manager 603. This enables gameapplications to make use of a well-defined, consistent interface, aswell as making access points to gaming kernel 600 controlled, whereoverall access is controlled using separate processes.

For example, game manager 603 parses an incoming command stream and,when a command dealing with I/O comes in (arrow 604), the command issent to an applicable library routine 612. Library routine 612 decideswhat it needs from a device, and sends commands to I/O Board Server 615(see arrow 608). A few specific drivers remain in operating system 610'skernel, shown as those below line 606. These are built-in, primitive, orprivileged drivers that are (i) general (ii) kept to a minimum and (iii)are easier to leave than extract. In such cases, the low-levelcommunications is handled within operating system 610 and the contentspassed to library routines 612.

Thus, in a few cases library routines may interact with drivers insideoperating system 610, which is why arrow 608 is shown as having threedirections (between library utilities 612 and I/O Board Server 615, orbetween library utilities 612 and certain drivers in operating system610). No matter which path is taken, the logic needed to work with eachdevice is coded into modules in the user layer of the diagram. Operatingsystem 610 is kept as simple, stripped down, and common across as manyhardware platforms as possible. The library utilities and user-leveldrivers change as dictated by the game cabinet or game machine in whichit will run. Thus, each game cabinet or game machine may have anindustry standard processor board 505 connected to a unique, relativelydumb, and as inexpensive as possible I/O adapter board 540, plus agaming kernel 600 which will have the game-machine-unique libraryroutines and I/O Board Server 615 components needed to enable gameapplications to interact with the gaming machine cabinet. Note thatthese differences are invisible to the game application software withthe exception of certain functional differences (i.e., if a gamingcabinet has stereo sound, the game application will be able make use ofAPI 602 to use the capability over that of a cabinet having traditionalmonaural sound).

Game manager 603 provides an interface into game kernel 600, providingconsistent, predictable, and backwards compatible calling methods,syntax, and capabilities by way of game application API 602. Thisenables the game developer to be free of dealing directly with thehardware, including the freedom to not have to deal with low-leveldrivers as well as the freedom to not have to program lower levelmanagers 630, although lower level managers 630 may be accessiblethrough game manager 603's interface 602 if a programmer has the need.In addition to the freedom derived from not having to deal with thehardware level drivers and the freedom of having consistent, callable,object-oriented interfaces to software managers of those components(drivers), game manager 603 provides access to a set of upper levelmanagers 620 also having the advantages of consistent callable,object-oriented interfaces, and further providing the types and kinds ofbase functionality required in casino-type games. Game manager 603,providing all the advantages of its consistent and richly functionalinterface 602 as supported by the rest of game kernel 600, thus providesa game developer with a multitude of advantages.

Game manager 603 may have several objects within itself, including aninitialization object (not shown). The initialization object performsthe initialization of the entire game machine, including other objects,after game manager 603 has started its internal objects and servers inappropriate order. In order to carry out this function, the kernel'sconfiguration manager 621 is among the first objects to be started;configuration manager 621 has data needed to initialize and correctlyconfigure other objects or servers.

The upper level managers 620 of game kernel 600 may include game eventlog manager 622 which provides, at the least, a logging or logger baseclass, enabling other logging objects to be derived from this baseobject. The logger object is a generic logger; that is, it is not awareof the contents of logged messages and events. The log manager's (622)job is to log events in non-volatile event log space. The size of thespace may be fixed, although the size of the logged event is typicallynot. When the event space or log space fills up, one embodiment willdelete the oldest logged event (each logged event will have a time/datestamp, as well as other needed information such as length), providingspace to record the new event. In this embodiment, the most recentevents will thus be found in the log space, regardless of their relativeimportance. Further provided is the capability to read the stored logsfor event review.

In accordance with one embodiment, meter manager 623 manages the variousmeters embodied in the game kernel 600. This includes the accountinginformation for the game machine and game play. There are hard meters(counters) and soft meters; the soft meters may be stored innon-volatile storage such as non-volatile battery-backed RAM to preventloss. Further, a backup copy of the soft meters may be stored in aseparate non-volatile storage such as EEPROM. In one embodiment, metermanager 623 receives its initialization data for the meters, duringstartup, from configuration manager 621. While running, the cash in(624) and cash out (625) managers call the meter manager's (623) updatefunctions to update the meters. Meter manager 623 will, on occasion,create backup copies of the soft meters by storing the soft meters'readings in EEPROM. This is accomplished by calling and using EEPROMmanager 631.

In accordance with still other embodiments, progressive manager 626manages progressive games playable from the game machine. Event manager627 is generic, like log manager 622, and is used to manage variousgaming machine events. Focus manager 628 correlates which process hascontrol of various focus items. Tilt manager 632 is an object thatreceives a list of errors (if any) from configuration manager 621 atinitialization, and during game play from processes, managers, drivers,etc. that may generate errors. Random number generator manager 629 isprovided to allow easy programming access to a random number generator(RNG), as a RNG is required in virtually all casino-style (gambling)games. RNG manager 629 includes the capability of using multiple seeds.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a credit manager object (notshown) manages the current state of credits (cash value or cashequivalent) in the game machine, including any available winnings, andfurther provides denomination conversion services. Cash out manager 625has the responsibility of configuring and managing monetary outputdevices. During initialization, cash out manager 625, using data fromconfiguration manager 621, sets the cash out devices correctly andselects any selectable cash out denominations. During play, a gameapplication may post a cash out event through the event manager 627 (thesame way all events are handled), and using a callback posted by cashout manager 625, cash out manager 625 is informed of the event. Cash outmanager 625 updates the credit object, updates its state in non-volatilememory, and sends an appropriate control message to the device managerthat corresponds to the dispensing device. As the device dispensesdispensable media, there will typically be event messages being sentback and forth between the device and cash out manager 625 until thedispensing finishes, after which cash out manager 625, having updatedthe credit manager and any other game state (such as some associatedwith meter manager 623) that needs to be updated for this set ofactions, sends a cash out completion event to event manager 627 and tothe game application thereby. Cash in manager 624 functions similarly tocash out manager 625, only controlling, interfacing with, and takingcare of actions associated with cashing in events, cash in devices, andassociated meters and crediting.

In a further example, in accordance with one or more embodiments, I/Oserver 615 may write data to the gaming machine EEPROM memory, which islocated in the gaming machine cabinet and holds meter storage that mustbe kept even in the event of power failure. Game manager 603 calls theI/O library functions to write data to the EEPROM. The I/O server 615receives the request and starts a low priority EEPROM thread 616 withinI/O server 615 to write the data. This thread uses a sequence of 8 bitcommand and data writes to the EEPROM device to write the appropriatedata in the proper location within the device. Any errors detected willbe sent as IPC messages to game manager 603. All of this processing isasynchronous.

In accordance with one embodiment, button module 617 within I/O server615, polls (or is sent) the state of buttons every 2 ms. These inputsare debounced by keeping a history of input samples. Certain sequencesof samples are required to detect a button was pressed, in which casethe I/O server 615 sends an inter-process communication event to gamemanager 603 that a button was pressed or released. In some embodiments,the gaming machine may have intelligent distributed I/O which debouncesthe buttons, in which case button module 617 may be able to communicatewith the remote intelligent button processor to get the button eventsand simply relay them to game manager 603 via IPC messages. In stillanother embodiment, the I/O library may be used for pay out requestsfrom the game application. For example, hopper module 618 must start thehopper motor, constantly monitor the coin sensing lines of the hopper,debounce them, and send an IPC message to the game manager 603 when eachcoin is paid.

Further details, including disclosure of lower level fault handlingand/or processing, are included in U.S. Pat. No. 7,351,151 entitled“Gaming Board Set and Gaming Kernel for Game Cabinets” and provisionalU.S. patent application No. 60/313,743, entitled “Form Fitting UpgradeBoard Set For Existing Game Cabinets,” filed Aug. 20, 2001; said patentand provisional are both fully incorporated herein by explicitreference.

A logical flow diagram generally depicting the steps associated with amethod 700 for carrying out a game having adjustable multi-part indicia,in accordance with one aspect of the invention, is presented in FIG. 7.The order of actions as shown in FIG. 7 is only illustrative, and shouldnot be considered limiting. For example, the order of the actions may bechanged, additional steps may be added or some steps may be removedwithout deviating from the scope and spirit of the invention.

First at block 710, a primary game play is played by a player asdescribed above. In one embodiment, the player places a wager and startsthe game, whereby each reel then displays a representation of a slotmachine reel spin before stopping with particular indicia displayed tothe player. A win occurs if a series of indicia (BAR, BAR, BAR, forexample) appears on one or more pay lines or scattered, as describedabove, and the player may be paid for any winning symbol combinations atblock 720. At block 730, it is determined whether all pay lines havebeen evaluated for any possible feature awards in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the invention. Initially, the answer to thisquestion is typically “no,” since no pay lines will have yet beenexamined for adjacent multi-part indicia as described above, and playcontinues at box 740, where the next pay line for evaluation is selectedaccording to the rules of the game.

It will be appreciated that, in accordance with some embodiments, theremay be no feature-eligible pay lines to be evaluated at the conclusionof the primary game play. For example, the player may have to wager aminimum amount on each pay line in order to be eligible to receivefeature awards. In this case, all pay lines are considered evaluated atbox 730 and no award is paid at box 790 prior to beginning a new primarygame at box 710.

In the case where one or more pay lines remains to be evaluated, thenext pay line is selected at box 740, where it is evaluated for anyadjacent multi-part indicia. If there are no adjacent multi-partindicia, for example, dominoes, on the selected pay line, there can beno additional feature award as a result of the pay line and the gamecycles back to box 730 to see if feature game play is complete. If,however, one or more multi-part indicia exist on the selected pay lineat box 750, it is further determined at box 760 whether a winningcombination of indicia may be coupled, linked or otherwise connected byrealigning or reorienting the indicia so that common sub-parts areplaced adjacent to one another. If not, the game continues at box 730,where it is once again determined whether feature game play is complete.Otherwise, one or more indicia may be flipped, spun, turned, slid orotherwise realigned or reoriented at box 770 in order to create the mostconnections (i.e., the longest “train”) and largest award possible.This, in turn, results in maximizing the award achievable by the player.Any winning amount associated with the realignment of multi-part indiciaon the selected pay line is added to a feature game award running totalat box 780, then the game continues at box 730 as described above. Onceall pay lines have been evaluated for feature game awards at box 730,the total feature award is paid to the player and the game continues atbox 710 with the start of a new primary game.

Referring to FIG. 8, enterprise gaming system 801 is shown in accordancewith one or more embodiments. Enterprise gaming system 801 may includeone casino or multiple locations and generally includes a network ofgaming machines 803, floor management system (SMS) 805, and casinomanagement system (CMS) 807. SMS 805 may include load balancer 811,network services servers 813, player interface (iVIEW) content servers815, certificate services server 817, floor radio dispatchreceiver/transmitters (RDC) 819, floor transaction servers 821 and gameengines 823, each of which may connect over network bus 825 to gamingmachines 803. CMS 807 may include location tracking server 831, WRGRTCEM server 833, data warehouse server 835, player tracking server 837,biometric server 839, analysis services server 841, third partyinterface server 843, slot accounting server 845, floor accountingserver 847, progressives server 849, promo control server 851, bonusgame (such as Bally Live Rewards) server 853, download control server855, player history database 857, configuration management server 859,browser manager 861, tournament engine server 863 connecting through bus865 to server host 867 and gaming machines 803. The various servers andgaming machines 803 may connect to the network with various conventionalnetwork connections (such as, for example, USB, serial, parallel, RS485,Ethernet). Additional servers which may be incorporated with CMS 807include a responsible gaming limit server (not shown), advertisementserver (not shown), and a control station server (not shown) where anoperator or authorized personnel may select options and input newprogramming to adjust each of the respective servers and gaming machines803. SMS 805 may also have additional servers including a controlstation (not shown) through which authorized personnel may selectoptions, modify programming, and obtain reports of the connected serversand devices, and obtain reports. The various CMS and SMS servers aredescriptively entitled to reflect the functional executable programmingstored thereon and the nature of databases maintained and utilized inperforming their respective functions.

Gaming machines 803 include various peripheral components that may beconnected with USB, serial, parallel, RS-485 or Ethernetdevices/architectures to the system components within the respectivegaming machine. The GMU has a connection to the base game through aserial SAS connection. The system components in the gaming cabinet maybe connected to the servers using HTTPs or G2S over Ethernet. Using CMS807 and/or SMS 305 servers and devices, firmware, media, operatingsystems, and configurations may be downloaded to the system componentsof respective gaming machines for upgrading or managing floor contentand offerings in accordance with operator selections or automaticallydepending upon CMS 807 and SMS 805 master programming. The data andprogramming updates to gaming machines 803 are authenticated usingconventional techniques prior to install on the system components.

In various embodiments, any of the gaming machines 803 may be amechanical reel spinning slot machine, video slot machine, video pokermachine, keno machine, video blackjack machine, or a gaming machineoffering one or more of the above described games including a group playgame. Alternately, gaming machines 803 may provide a game withadjustable multi-part indicia as one of a set of multiple primary gamesselected for play by a random number generator, as described above. Agaming system of the type described above also allows a plurality ofgames in accordance with the various embodiments of the invention to belinked under the control of a group game server (not shown) forcooperative or competitive play in a particular area, carousel, casinoor between casinos located in geographically separate areas. Forexample, one or more examples of group games under control of a groupgame server are disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/938,079,entitled “Networked System and Method for Group Play Gaming,” filed onNov. 9, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entiretyfor all purposes.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the claimedinvention. For example, it may further be appreciated that a game inaccordance with one or more aspects of the invention may be associatedwith a table game such a poker or blackjack. For example, a player mayreceive a chance to win one or more game plays on a gaming machinelocated adjacent the table, the opportunity based on cards or handsreceived during play of the table game. The game plays would providemultiple opportunities to win an award according to results achieved byiteratively adjusting displayed indicia having multiple parts to formwinning combinations as described above.

Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modificationsand changes that may be made to the claimed invention without followingthe example embodiments and applications illustrated and describedherein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of theclaimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

1. A gaming machine comprising: a processor operatively coupled to a setof player-operable controls; a first game and a second game operable bythe processor in accordance with the player-operable controls, the firstgame having a set of possible outcomes displayable to include at leasttwo indicia having visually distinguishable sub-parts, the second gameinitiated upon a triggering event associated with the first game; and apayout device for awarding one or more awards resulting from adjustingthe position of a first displayed sub-part to place it in proximity to acorresponding second displayed sub-part to form a winning combination.2. The gaming machine of claim 1 further comprising a wager inputmechanism operatively coupled to the processor, wherein play of thesecond game is restricted by an amount of a wager placed by way of thewager input mechanism.
 3. The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein one ormore of the awards comprises one or more progressive awards.
 4. Thegaming machine of claim 1 further comprising a video display operativelycoupled to the processor.
 5. The gaming machine of claim 4 wherein thedisplay is a wide-screen display.
 6. The gaming machine of claim 4further comprising a touch screen attached to the display.
 7. The gamingmachine of claim 1 wherein adjusting the position comprises one ofsliding, spinning, shifting, flipping, rotating and shuffling.
 8. Thegaming machine of claim 1 in which adjusting the position comprisesreorientation of the displayed indicium.
 9. The gaming machine of claim1 in which adjusting the position comprises relocation of the displayedindicium.
 10. The gaming machine of claim 1 in which adjusting theposition comprises relocation of the sub-part within its indicium. 11.The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the indicia having sub-parts arerepresented as dominoes.
 12. The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein thesub-parts are visually distinguishable by at least one of color, shape,numeric symbols and icons.
 13. The gaming machine of claim 1 furthercomprising one or more reels, wherein the indicia are displayed on theone or more reels.
 14. The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the firstgame outcome is randomly or pseudo-randomly determined.
 15. The gamingmachine of claim 1 wherein the processor adjusts the position of thefirst displayed sub-part.
 16. The game of claim 1 wherein the playeradjusts the position of the first displayed sub-part by way of theplayer-operable controls.
 17. A method of operating a gaming machineincluding a first game and a second game played by a player, the methodincluding the steps of: accepting a wager from a wager-input mechanism;initiating play of a processor-controlled first game according to thewager; displaying a first game outcome on a display comprisingdisplaying at least two indicia having visually distinguishablesub-parts; upon a triggering event associated with the first game,initiating a second processor-controlled game; adjusting the position onthe display of a first displayed sub-part to place it in proximity to acorresponding second displayed sub-part to form a second game outcome;determining one or more awards which may be won according to the secondgame outcome; and controlling a payment device to pay the determinedawards to the player.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the triggeringevent comprises a predefined one of a set of possible first gameoutcomes.
 19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step ofrestricting play of the second game based on the amount of the wager.20. The method of claim 17 wherein at least one of the awards comprisesa progressive prize.
 21. The method of claim 17 wherein adjusting theposition comprises one of sliding, spinning, shifting, flipping,rotating and shuffling.
 22. The method of claim 17 in which adjustingthe position comprises reorientation of the displayed indicium.
 23. Themethod of claim 17 in which adjusting the position comprises relocationof the displayed indicium.
 24. The method of claim 17 in which adjustingthe position comprises relocation of the sub-part within its indicium.25. The method of claim 17 wherein the indicia having sub-parts arerepresented as dominoes.
 26. The method of claim 17 wherein thesub-parts are visually distinguishable by at least one of color, shape,numeric symbols and icons.
 27. The method of claim 17 further comprisingone or more reels, wherein the indicia are displayed on one or morereels or representations of reels.
 28. The method of claim 17 whereinthe first game outcome is randomly or pseudo-randomly determined. 29.The method of claim 17 wherein the processor adjusts the position of thefirst displayed sub-part.
 30. The method of claim 17 including the stepof allowing the player to adjust the position of the first displayedsub-part by way of player-operable controls.